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submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 11 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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FAQ

When is the next Integrated Flight Test (IFT-2)? Booster 9 + Ship 25 launched Saturday, November 18 after slight delay.
What was the result? Successful lift off with minimal pad damage. Successful booster operation with all engines to successful hot stage separation. Booster destroyed after attempted boost-back. Ship fired all engines to near orbital speed then lost. No re-entry attempt.
Did IFT-2 Fail? No. As part of an iterative test programme, many milestones were achieved. Perfection is neither expected nor desired at this stage.
Next launch? IFT-3 expected to be Booster 10, Ship 28 per a recent NSF Roundup. Probably no earlier than Feb 2024. Prerequisite IFT-2 mishap investigation.

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Type	Start (CDT)	End (CDT)	Status
Primary Date	2023-12-08 16:00	2023-12-08 21:00	Possible Closure
Alternative Date	2023-12-11 08:00	2023-12-11 20:00	Possible Closure
Alternative Date	2023-12-12 08:00	2023-12-12 20:00	Possible Closure

Up to date as of 2023-12-08

As of 2023-12-08

Follow Ring Watchers on Twitter and Discord for more.

Ship	Location	Status	Comment
Pre-S24, 27		Scrapped or Retired	S20 in Rocket Garden, remainder scrapped.
S24	Bottom of sea	Destroyed	April 20th (IFT-1): Destroyed by flight termination system after successful launch.
S25	Bottom of sea	Destroyed	Mostly successful launch and stage separation
S26	Rocket Garden	Testing	Static fire Oct. 20. No fins or heat shield, plus other changes. Completed 3 cryo tests, latest on Oct 10.
S28	High Bay	Pending heatshield completion	Cryo test on July 28. Raptor install began Aug 17. Completed 2 cryo tests.
S29	High Bay		Fully stacked, completed 3x cryo tests, awaiting engine install.
S30	High Bay	Under construction	Fully stacked
S31	Rocket Garden	Fully stacked, awaiting flaps	Stacking in progress.
S32	High Bay	Under construction	Stacking in progress.
S33-34	Build Site	Being scrapped	To be scrapped in preparation for Starship V2

Booster	Location	Status	Comment
Pre-B7 & B8		Scrapped or Retired	B4 in Rocket Garden, remainder scrapped.
B7	Bottom of sea	Destroyed	Destroyed by flight termination system after successful launch.
B9	Bottom of sea	Destroyed	Successfully launched, destroyed during Boost back attempt.
B10	Rocket garden	Engine install?	Completed 4 cryo tests. Moved to Massey's on Sep 11, back to Megabay Sep 20.
B11	Megabay	Finalizing	Completed 2 Cryo tests.
B12	Megabay	Finalizing	Appears complete, except for raptors, hot stage ring, and cryo testing.
B13	Megabay	Stacking	Lower half mostly stacked.
B14+	Build Site	Assembly	Assorted parts spotted through B15.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I've seen in this thread:

Fewer Letters	More Letters
CST	(Boeing) Crew Space Transportation capsules
~	Central Standard Time (UTC-6)
FAA	Federal Aviation Administration
FTS	Flight Termination System
Isp	Specific impulse (as explained by Scott Manley on YouTube)
~	Internet Service Provider
N1	Raketa Nositel-1, Soviet super-heavy-lift ("Russian Saturn V")
NET	No Earlier Than
NOAA	National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, responsible for US ~~generation~~ monitoring of the climate
NSF	NasaSpaceFlight forum
~	National Science Foundation
OLM	Orbital Launch Mount
QD	Quick-Disconnect
RUD	Rapid Unplanned Disassembly
~	Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly
~	Rapid Unintended Disassembly
SECO	Second-stage Engine Cut-Off
SPMT	Self-Propelled Mobile Transporter
SSTO	Single Stage to Orbit
~	Supersynchronous Transfer Orbit
TFR	Temporary Flight Restriction
TPS	Thermal Protection System for a spacecraft (on the Falcon 9 first stage, the engine "Dance floor")

Jargon	Definition
Raptor	Methane-fueled rocket engine under development by SpaceX
Starlink	SpaceX's world-wide satellite broadband constellation
cryogenic	Very low temperature fluid; materials that would be gaseous at room temperature/pressure
~	(In re: rocket fuel) Often synonymous with hydrolox
dancefloor	Attachment structure for the Falcon 9 first stage engines, below the tanks
hopper	Test article for ground and low-altitude work (eg. Grasshopper)
hydrolox	Portmanteau: liquid hydrogen fuel, liquid oxygen oxidizer
iron waffle	Compact "waffle-iron" aerodynamic control surface, acts as a wing without needing to be as large; also, "grid fin"

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